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Topic: To Believe or Not To Believe (Read 3099 times)

I have read my owners manual about "Running In" the bike. I have also read a lot of posts on the same subject. I am CONFUSED!!! According to the manual I shouldn't go more than half throttle and the recommend speed is 37 mph in the first 300 miles. I will never make the 300 mile mark at that speed? So did anyone not follow their manual and pay for it later? Or kind of do a buffet when it came to running the motor. I have an 2009 AVL with 18 miles on it. And I know for a fact to take the sidecar off. Any yelling, ridicule, comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Go out and ride it - just remember - SPIN it, don't LUG it. I don't know HOW many bikes I've seen with the bearings knocked out of them because "I was following the manual and going 30mph ..." ...... in FIFTH gear! Think of it as polishing - to get a lustrous shine, you buff fast and lightly ..... you need to do the same with the engine. Good call on taking the hack off of it until you get some miles on there - THAT constitutes luggin' it for certain when it's new .....

The most important thing to do during the early break-in miles is to vary your speeds up and down alot. Especially during the first 20-50 miles. This helps to seal the rings.Riding at a single speed does not help ring sealing very well.

I usually go out for only 10-15 minutes on the first break-in ride, and just use first and second gear, and accelerate fairly briskly to a medium rpm, and then let off the throttle, and let the bike slow back down on its own, without using the brake. That's called "engine braking". I do that alot during the first 20 miles. It really helps the rings to seal.

Then, I go out again next time, after it has cooled-off, and do it again. Then next time, I might use 3rd gear, and still do it.

After about 50 miles of this on the residential road by my house, I might then venture out to another neighborhood and do similar activity, and still do the varying of the throttle, but a longer ride. Each time you go out, you can go a little longer, and perhaps vary the speeds differently, and not as severely, but still always be varying the speed.

This is all just engine break-in procedure. It's not really doing any actual transportation in a real way, but just getting the engine bedded-in so the parts get used to running against each other and rubbing off any high spots, so it will run smoother and with less friction as you go along.

After a couple hundred miles, you can start to ride a bit more normally, but always vary the speeds thru the entire break-in period. That is always the best thing to do.As you go along, you can just vary the speeds in a minor way, with just some speediing up and slight slowing down during your rides.You should conspicuously avoid droning the engine at one speed for any length of time during the break-in period.

Basically, here's what's happening.The factory just gives the most rudimentary surface prep inside the engine, and depends on these long break-in periods to do the "finish machining" when riding. It actually wears itself in as you ride.